News
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Tarbela and Mangla dams likely to touch dead level
By Zafar Bhutta
ISLAMABAD: Water level in both Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs has dropped by five feet and is likely to touch the “dead level” by Wednesday, Indus River System Authority (IRSA) sources told Daily Times on Saturday. Supply of irrigation water would depend on river inflows in such a situation, they said, and a major shortage of water was likely for the Kharif crop season (April to September). IRSA would call a meeting of its technical committee by the end of March to chalk out a strategy with the consultation of the provinces to tackle the problem, the sources said. They said that the water level in Chashma reservoir stood at 638.15 feet on Saturday, slightly higher than the dead level, which is 637 feet. The dam stored 0.13 million acre feet (MAF) of water on Saturday. The total inflow in Chashma at Indus was 35,100 cusecs and the outflow was 30,900 cusecs. Water level in Tarbela was recorded at 1,374 feet on Saturday. The dead level is 1,369 feet. Tarbela currently stores 0.67 million acre feet of water. The inflow into the reservoir was recorded at 29,700 cusecs on Saturday and the outflow was 37,000 cusecs. The sources said the water level in Mangla Dam had dropped to 1,045.15 feet and was coming close to the dead level, which is 1,040 feet. The total inflow into Mangla was 21,300 cusecs on Saturday and the outflow was 26,000 cusecs. The total inflow of water in Chashma, Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs was 71,506 cusecs on Saturday and outflow, 85,258 cusecs. IRSA is currently releasing 49,000 cusecs of water to Punjab - 8,000 cusecs from Indus Arm and 41,000 cusecs from Jhelum-Chashma arm. Punjab was facing a shortage of water for the last irrigation of Rabi crops. This shortage could affect the target for production of wheat, set at 24 million tonnes.
Courtesy Daily Times